Winches



NOV 11, 1969 B. D. scHRElER 3,477,697

' wINcHEs Filed Jan. B, 1968 Norneys United States Patent C 3,477,697 WINCHES Bernard Dov Schreier, 233 Regents Park Road, London N. 3, England Filed Jan. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 696,442 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Jan. 19, 1967, 2,841/ 67 Int. Cl. B66d 1/26 U.S. Cl. 254-184 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A double-drum winch comprises two motors, coaxially facing one another, two coaxial drums between said motors each connected to one motor, and a common lay shaft supporting and steadying said drums extending between said motors, but of length shorter than the spacing between the motors in order to allow lateral removal of the drums and lay shaft from between the motors. Hydraulic motors may be used, and may be independently operable.

This invention relates to Winches, and is directed more especially, although not exclusively, to Winches incorporated in lifting and lowering equipment such as, for example, a pipe-lifting and -laying machine described in the specification of copending British patent application No. 58,179/66.

The invention consists in winch means comprising two power-driven drums or the like in axial alignment mounted upon a common shaft which serves to bear and steady the drums.

The shaft may be a lay shaft, by which is meant a shaft having no connection with supporting means but extending through, and being freely rotatable in relation to, the two drums or the like.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description of one form (given, however, merely by way of example) which it may assume, and this description will be more readily followed by reference to the accompanying drawing, representing in front elevation, partly in section, a winch arrangement in accordance with the invention.

In carrying the invention conveniently into effect, as shown in the aforesaid drawing, winch means comprise two hydraulic motors A, B mounted in axial alignment in a framework C. They may, for example, be the hydraulic motors incorporated in a pipe-laying vehicle as described in British patent specification No. 58,179/66. Each motor comprises a part A1, B1 of a casing rigidly secured to the framework C, and a rotatable component A2, B2 forming the cover on the inner side 0f the casing 3,477,697 Patented Nov. 11, 1969 ICe so that two rotors A2, B2 are face to face. To each rotor is rigidly secured, eg. by screws or bolts 3, a winch drum, A4, B4 respectively, which drums, as illustrated, together extend between the rotors A2, B2. One of the two adjacent ilanges of the drums A4, B4 may have a dished edge, as at 5, to overlap the neighbouring flange.

A shaft 6 extends axially through the two drums A4, B4, and at each end of each drum are provided ball bearings A7, A8 and B7, B8 in suitable ball races between the shaft 6 and the drums. The shaft 6 has no connection with the rotors A2, B2, but serves to support and steady both the drums A4, B4 in operation, e.g. when driven separately or together by their respective motors A, B as described in the abovementioned specification No. 58,179/ 66.

From the above description it will be seen that the invention describes a simple and effective winching arrangement, but it should be understood that the invention is not limited to details of the form described above, which may be modified, in order to meet various conditions and requirements encountered, without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Winch means comprising two encased motors, each of said motor casings incorporating a driven rotor, and the motors being located in spaced coaxial positions with their rotors facing one another, two coaxial winch drums between said rotors, each detachably connected to one of said rotors, and a common lay shaft extending through, and serving to steady and support, said two drums, the length of said lay shaft being less than the spacing between said rotors in order to allow withdrawal of the lay shaft, with the drums thereon after detachment from said rotors, from between the rotors.

2. Winch means as claimed in claim 1 wherein one, or each motor is a hydraulic motor.

3. Winch means as claimed in claim 1 wherein the adjacent ends of the two drums are flanged.

4. Winch means as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flange of one drum is dished and overlaps the edge of the flange of the other drum.

5. Winch means as claimed in claim 1 comprising ball bearings between the common shaft and each drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,574,086 2/1926 Hansen 254-185 2,289,387 7/ 1942 Stephens 254-185 3,128,991 4/1964 Pillman 254-185 HARVEY C. HORNSBY, Primary Examiner 

